Standing in the Rain
by Are-san
Summary: Renji doesn't like the rain. It reminds him of bad times and it makes him feel lonely. Who will come to ease his loneliness?


Standing in the Rain

There was thunder in the distance, and the lightning was putting on quite the show, forks of blinding white striking down, clearly visible even through the torrents of rain.

Renji hated the rain. It reminded him of cold nights on a bare floor, with nothing to shield him from the water except his flimsy clothes and the bodies of his friends. There was nothing beautiful in the rain to him, it was just cold and wet and impersonal. It didn't care about the freezing children it pummelled back then, and it certainly didn't care about soaking him to the bone now.

Even Hollows avoided the rain when they could. So he didn't see why he needed to sit out here, wet and depressed, waiting for Hollows that were probably warmer and dryer than he was. He sighed, feeling strangely lonesome, out in the dark with the rain.

Ichigo was at his house, he'd decided not to drag the kid along with him. His personal hatred of the rain seemed like a private thing. He didn't need Ichigo to see it.

Who would see it? He wondered. Rukia would understand, but he couldn't bring himself to share any sort of weakness with her. Byakuya was his captain, and though he felt closer to the noble than he ever had, he still didn't feel up to sharing something as personal as this.

So he guessed there was no one. No one to share the burden with except himself and the rain.

He closed his eyes, raindrops spilling like tears down his cheeks. His hair was weighed down, the tie unable to hold up the thick strands. So he lifted a hand and let the dripping mane fall loose, shaking out the bloody locks, darkened by the water. His clothes clung to him, even through a loose shihakusho you could clearly see every dip and angle of his toned physique. It was cold, but he was numb by now, well past the point of shivering. He chuckled to himself, opening his eyes, water droplets dripping off of his eyelashes as he tugged the wet fabric off his shoulders. His clothes weren't doing anything to keep him warm, so he might as well let the rain soak his skin directly.

His bare torso was exposed to the elements, shimmering with wetness as the droplets caressed the black lines like a lover's hands. He kept a hand on his sword as he wandered through a group of trees at the edge of the park.

Perhaps his guard was too low, maybe the rain was dulling his senses. But either way he never noticed the approaching reiatsu. Even when a certain orange haired youth was standing right in front of him, he didn't notice. He'd closed his eyes again. He'd let the rain cry for him.

-//-

The sight that greeted Ichigo was truly a wonder. A bare-chested, gleaming example of masculinity. Ichigo's breath hitched, eyes trailing over water darkened hair, flowing like torrents of blood over strong, black-inked shoulders. When Renji tipped his head back into the downpour the substitute was left entirely speechless. Since when did Renji have such a sad look on his face?

Where was that goofy grin, that sly smirk? Where was the fire that always sparked whenever Renji was near? Where was the lust and excitement, the barely contained energy?

The Renji before him was quiet and docile, tamed. And that just wasn't right.

"Oi! Pineapple!" Ichigo called out. "You trying to catch a cold or what? Put your shirt back on!"

Renji's eyes opened slowly and he sent Ichigo a lazy look. He didn't bother to crack the smile Ichigo had been hoping for.

"Lot o' good it would do. The shirt's wetter than I am." he muttered, voice softer than normal.

Renji's voice, the look of him, it sent a chill down Ichigo's spine that had nothing to do with the icy rain.

"C'mon, Renji." he said, "Urahara said that there's no need to stay out here any more. There ain't any Hollows out tonight."

The redhead nodded, following when Ichigo beckoned to him. The orange-haired boy led the shinigami vice-captain through the rainy streets, back to the boy's house. They jumped in through the window, where Ichigo returned to his warm, dry body.

"I'll get you a towel." he murmured, leaving the room for a moment. By the time he came back, it seemed Renji had regained some of himself. He flashed Ichigo a small grin when he handed him the towel.

"Thanks, Strawberry." he said, blotting the cloth over his dripping chest, shaking out his hair so that droplets flew everywhere.

"Hey!" Ichigo growled. "What are you, a dog!?"

Renji chuckled wryly. "That's what they keep telling me." he paused in his drying, looking over at Ichigo with a warm look in his dark eyes. "Don't s'pose I could use your shower? I'm half frozen."

Ichigo was a little taken aback but he nodded. "Y-yeah sure. Just in through there, help yourself."

"Thanks."

-//-

Laying on his bed Ichigo couldn't help but wonder why his brain insisted on betraying him.

Less than ten feet away was a completely naked, dripping, hot Renji. And his mind kept picturing that exact thing, with Renji's shimmering, slippery body, all hot flesh and black tattoos mixed in with the steam and the fog. The young male shivered. It was a hard image to resist.

Then another image came unbidden to the surface. It was Renji, still dripping and gleaming, outside in the rain, a painfully sorrowful look upon his handsome face. And suddenly Ichigo found himself on his feet. And he was pulling off his clothes and walking towards the bathroom, where he knew Renji was. He hesitated, halfway reaching towards the doorknob, and took a deep breath. When he opened the door the air was thick with steam, and the foggy substance seemed to muffle the sound of the door closing behind him.

Renji didn't seem surprised to see him when he stepped into the shower. And Ichigo couldn't stop a blush from surfacing when he finally saw his fantasy in the flesh. And it was so much better than a dream.

They didn't say anything, like they'd both agreed that this was going to happen and they didn't want to ruin it with words. So they moved together instead and Ichigo found himself feeling strangely calm as Renji's full, surprisingly soft, lips moved over his.

It was damp and hot and slick and when Renji's tongue traced over Ichigo's bottom lip it drew a small moan with it. Their tongues slid together with seemingly practised ease and Ichigo was somewhat stunned by how natural it felt.

Standing under the spray, the artificial rain, Renji couldn't help but feel a glimmer of relief that he was no longer alone. It was so easy to pull Ichigo close, to touch him, to hear the surprised moans as he ran his hands slowly over that lean body.

Ichigo's skin was paler than his own, but only by a few shades, and Renji thought that the two colours blended nicely together. He felt hesitant hands on his shoulders and he smiled reassuringly at the inexperienced man in front of him. His lips trailed off to a strong jaw, working his way slowly over the ridge of bone and skin.

The water poured over them, hot rain, and Ichigo's face was flushed with heat and insecurity. He felt so unsure, not knowing what to do with his hands, how to react. Normally he could pick up on things so quickly, could drive instinctively through the confusion. But this time his instincts were going haywire, and there were so many things he wanted to do at once. Renji\s tongue peeked out, flicking over the shell of Ichigo's ear and his teeth nibbled at a soft, sensitive spot behind his ear. His breath hitched and his eyes closed and his body shivered because he would never expect something so simple to feel so good.

Renji let his hands wander, playing at Ichigo's chest, thumbs flicking over already hard nipples and drawing a shocked gasp of pleasure from his young partner. His mouth trailed down the Strawberry's long, lean neck. His skin tasted salty and sweet and good.

With his hands wandering over every plane and angle and Ichigo mouth hanging open to emit careless moans and gasps, it wasn't long before they were both painfully aroused. Renji pulled his mouth away, lips just shy of devouring Ichigo's chest in long sultry licks. He looked up at Ichigo, reluctant to break the wordless silence.

"How far are ya willing to take this, Ichigo?" he rumbled, voice deep and low.

Ichigo was panting hard, his young body straining for release. "How far are you willing to take me?"

Renji smirked, not needing to hear anything else.

His mouth latched onto one flat nipple, scraping his teeth over the sensitive nub. Ichigo gasped in shock and moaned, hands reaching up to grab at Renji's hair, blunt nails digging into his scalp. He hadn't known how good another person's touch could feel. It was overwhelming.

Renji moved across Ichigo's chest, paying the opposite nipple the same attention. Ichigo was gasping and panting and damn if the sound didn't send the blood rushing straight to Renji's cock. The redhead laved Ichigo's skin with a rough tongue, looking like some sort of feral cat as he lapped at Ichigo like cream. The younger male writhed a little at the wet touch, his already slick skin flushing red with heat and arousal. His hands squeezed Ichigo's thighs, parting them. His wet fingers were already moving up to press slickly against the intimate part of Ichigo he was sure no one else had touched.

Ichigo's body stiffened, quickly going limp again with a loud moan when Renji's tongue licked up the shaft of his cock. The shinigami fukutaichou licked up and down the sides of Ichigo's shaft, his fingers moving teasingly around his entrance. Ichigo could only pant and groan as Renji mouth enveloped the head of his dick, the youth's hands tangling themselves in the long, silky, wet locks of Renji's hair. He didn't notice at first when Renji pressed one finger slowly inside him, it wasn't until he started thrusting that he noticed that he was being penetrated.

His breathing became even more ragged. Renji's hot mouth was distracting but he couldn't ignore the slightly uncomfortable, good, hot feeling of Renji's fingers inside him. By the time Renji was scissoring two fingers inside him, Ichigo was shuddering and arching against the shower wall. Renji grinned around his mouthful, sucking more of Ichigo's cock into his mouth. It wasn't long before he had three fingers thrusting in and out of Ichigo's ass and the boy was thrusting back and forth into his mouth and fingers.

Renji took it as a cue to continue, pulling his mouth away (much to Ichigo's disappointment), and pulling his fingers out. He caught Ichigo's eyes, both of their gazes were foggy and hazed, the steam rising around them in billowing clouds. He hooked Ichigo's leg over one arm, aligning himself at Ichigo's entrance. Ichigo gave him a nervous look, taking in a shaky breath and nodding.

Renji pressed into him slowly, stretching him as he moved, groaning heatedly as his cock was wrapped in tight, slick heat. Ichigo was writhing, heart pounding in his head, and his body was so hot it was burning. Everywhere Renji touched him was liquid fire, racing along his nerves, every breath came out a sob. He was so overwhelmed, his body unsure whether it was a good or a bad feeling. All he knew was he wanted more.

"Ren...Renji, move..." he grunted.

The redhead didn't have to be told twice. His hands tightened on Ichigo's thigh and waist and he pulled back slowly, snapping his hips up with a strangled moan.

It was hard and wet and fast, Renji's hips pummelling into Ichigo in a brutal rhythm, and the orange-head couldn't have been happier. When Renji suddenly changed the angle he was practically screaming with overwhelming pleasure and pain. His body writhing, his lips melding messily with Renji's while the hot water pounded over them like a thunderstorm. At that pace neither of them could last long and soon Renji's name was echoing off the tiles as Ichigo jerked and bucked and came all over both of them. Renji was not far behind, twitching as he came, filling Ichigo's body with hot, sticky seed until both of them went numb.

They slid to the bottom of the shower, breathing easing back into a normal pace. Renji reached out tiredly and turned off the water, which had already washed away the cum and sweat. He looked up at Ichigo with a lazy smile and pulled him into a slow kiss.

"You know, maybe the rain ain't so bad..." he murmured, and a hint of mischief glinted in his eyes.

"Nah, I kind of like it." Ichigo replied, smiling back.


End file.
